The bridges of Pittsburgh play an important role in the city's transportation system. Without bridges, the Pittsburgh region would be a series of fragmented valleys, hillsides, river plains, and isolated communities. [1]
A 2006 study [2] determined that, at the time, Pittsburgh had 446 bridges, though that number has been disputed. [3] With its proximity to three major rivers and countless hills and ravines, Pittsburgh is known as "The City of Bridges". [4]
Pittsburgh's first river bridges, made of wood and long since replaced, opened in 1818 at Smithfield Street and 1819 at Sixth Street (then St. Clair Street). The city's oldest in-service bridge is the current Smithfield Street Bridge, which opened in 1883; it was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1976. [5] Pittsburgh waged a massive road and bridge building campaign from 1924 to 1940; most of Pittsburgh's oldest major bridges date from this period. The coming of the Interstate Highway System triggered more construction in the second half of the twentieth century, as vehicular speed and throughput requirements increased. The result of more than 100 years of bridge building is a collection of most of the major types of bridge (suspension, cantilever, arch, etc.), mostly built from locally produced steel, including about forty river spans.
Many of the bridges in the Downtown area are colored Aztec Gold, [6] either constructed as such or painted afterward, to match the city's official colors of black and gold. A few old and out-of-service bridges, such as the Hot Metal Bridge (which stood dormant until reopening as a passenger bridge in the year 2000), are exceptions to this rule.
According to a 2011 study by Transportation for America, 1,194 bridges in the Pittsburgh area—or 30.4%—were deficient, the highest proportion in the nation. [7] [8]
On February 8, 2008, the Birmingham Bridge suffered a failure of its rocker bearings, causing the deck to drop eight inches, prompting a closure of the bridge. The bridge was repaired and fully reopened on September 8, 2008. [9]
On January 28, 2022, the Fern Hollow Bridge across Frick Park collapsed, forcing the closure of Forbes Avenue through the park. The bridge was covered with snow when it collapsed at 6:39 a.m. local time as it was being crossed by several cars and a bus. [10] The bridge was rebuilt and reopened on December 22, 2022. [11]
This table lists all bridges crossing the Allegheny, Monongahela and Ohio rivers in the City of Pittsburgh limits. Other large or notable bridges are also included.
Crossing | Carries | Image | Coordinates |
---|---|---|---|
Fort Pitt Bridge | I-376 / US 19 Truck / US 22 / US 30 | 40°26′20″N80°00′40″W / 40.4388°N 80.0111°W | |
Smithfield Street Bridge | Smithfield Street | 40°26′06″N80°00′07″W / 40.4351°N 80.0020°W | |
Panhandle Bridge | Pittsburgh Regional Transit T Light Rail Line | 40°25′59″N79°59′53″W / 40.43306°N 79.99806°W | |
Liberty Bridge | Connects Liberty Tunnel to Downtown Pittsburgh | 40°25′58″N79°59′48″W / 40.4328°N 79.9968°W | |
South Tenth Street Bridge | South Tenth Street | 40°25′57″N79°59′21″W / 40.43250°N 79.98917°W | |
Birmingham Bridge | Connects Fifth and Forbes avenues to East Carson Street | 40°26′00″N79°58′25″W / 40.433361°N 79.973499°W | |
Hot Metal Bridge | Great Allegheny Passage/Three Rivers Heritage Trail, Hot Metal Street | ||
Glenwood Bridge | PA 885 | ||
Glenwood B&O Railroad Bridge | Allegheny Valley Railroad | ||
Homestead Grays Bridge (Homestead High Level Bridge) | Blue Belt |
This table lists some other major bridges within the City of Pittsburgh limits.
Downtown Pittsburgh, colloquially referred to as the Golden Triangle, and officially the Central Business District, is the urban downtown center of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located at the confluence of the Allegheny River and the Monongahela River whose joining forms the Ohio River. The triangle is bounded by the two rivers.
The Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) is a 150-mile (240 km) rail trail between Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Cumberland, Maryland. Together with the C&O Canal towpath, the GAP is part of a 335 mi (539 km) route between Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C., that is popular with through hikers and cyclists.
The Allegheny County Belt System color codes various county roads to form a unique system of routes in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, and around the city of Pittsburgh.
Swisshelm Park is a neighborhood located in the southeast corner of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is represented on the Pittsburgh City Council by Barbara Warwick. Swisshelm Park houses PBF 19 Engine, and is covered by PBP Zone 4 and the Bureau of EMS Medic 7.
The Smithfield Street Bridge is a lenticular truss bridge crossing the Monongahela River in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
The Fort Pitt Bridge is a steel, double-decked bowstring arch bridge that spans the Monongahela River near its confluence with the Allegheny River in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It carries Interstate 376 between the Fort Pitt Tunnel and Downtown Pittsburgh. Opened in June 1959 as a replacement for the Point Bridge, the Fort Pitt Bridge was the world's first computer-designed bowstring arch bridge and double-decked bowstring arch bridge. The bridge is known for its difficult lane changes, especially on the lower level, often requiring people to go from the extreme left lane across two lanes to the extreme right lane in only 300 feet. The upper level is more forgiving for some routes but still requires a full span lane change in 300 feet to get from the south side entrance to the downtown exits.
The Monongahela Incline is a funicular located near the Smithfield Street Bridge in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Designed and built by Prussian-born engineer John Endres in 1870, it is the oldest continuously operating funicular in the United States.
The Liberty Bridge, which was completed in 1928, connects downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to the Liberty Tunnels and the South Hills neighborhoods beyond. It crosses the Monongahela River and intersects Interstate 579 at its northern terminus.
The South Tenth Street Bridge, most often called the Tenth Street Bridge, but officially dubbed the Philip Murray Bridge, is a suspension bridge that spans the Monongahela River in Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The Birmingham Bridge is a bowstring arch bridge that is located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and spans the Monongahela River.
The Hot Metal Bridge is a truss bridge in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, that crosses the Monongahela River. The bridge consists of two parallel spans on a single set of piers: the former Monongahela Connecting Railroad Bridge, built in 1887, on the upstream side and the former Hot Metal Bridge, built in 1900, on the downstream side. The Monongahela Connecting Railroad Bridge carried conventional railroad traffic, while the Hot Metal Bridge connected parts of the J&L Steel mill, carrying crucibles of molten iron from the blast furnaces in ladle transfer cars to the open hearth furnaces on the opposite bank to be converted to steel. During World War II 15% of America's steel making capacity crossed over the Hot Metal Bridge, up to 180 tons per hour. The upstream span was converted to road use after a $14.6 million restoration, and opened by Mayor Tom Murphy with a ceremony honoring former steel workers on June 23, 2000. The bridge connects 2nd Avenue at the Pittsburgh Technology Center in South Oakland with Hot Metal Street in the South Side. The downstream span reopened for pedestrian and bicycle use in late 2007 after two years of work. The Great Allegheny Passage hiker/biker trail passes over this bridge as it approaches Pittsburgh's Golden Triangle area.
The West End Bridge is a steel tied-arch bridge over the Ohio River in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) below the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers. It connects the West End to the Chateau neighborhood on the North Side of Pittsburgh.
Frick Park is the largest municipal park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, covering 644 acres (1.006 sq mi). It is one of Pittsburgh's four historic large parks.
Transportation in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is different than in many other major American cities. A large metropolitan area that is surrounded by rivers and hills, Pittsburgh has an infrastructure system that has been built out over the years to include roads, tunnels, bridges, railroads, inclines, bike paths, and stairways; however, the hills and rivers still form many barriers to transportation within the city.
Forbes Avenue is one of the longest streets in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. It runs along an east–west route for a length of approximately 7 mi (11 km).
The Three Rivers Heritage Trail is an urban rail trail paralleling the riverbanks in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Allegheny County for about 33 miles (53 km), often on both sides of the rivers, and offering views of the city. The trail is promoted and maintained in part by the 'Friends of the Riverfront'.
The Washington Crossing Bridge, commonly known as the Fortieth Street Bridge, is an arch bridge that carries vehicular traffic across the Allegheny River between the Pittsburgh neighborhood of Lawrenceville and the suburb of Millvale. The bridge is decorated with the seals representing the original 13 colonies of the US and that of Allegheny county.
The Brilliant Branch Railroad Bridge is a truss bridge that carries Allegheny Valley Railroad's Brilliant Branch across the Allegheny River between the Pittsburgh neighborhood of Highland Park and the borough of Aspinwall, Pennsylvania.
The Fern Hollow Bridge is the name used for one of a series of three bridges in the East End of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States; each bridge carried Forbes Avenue over a large ravine in Frick Park. The first Fern Hollow Bridge opened in 1901 as a steel deck arch, and was demolished in 1972 while the second bridge was being built. The second bridge opened in 1973 and collapsed on January 28, 2022. Construction of the third bridge began on May 9, 2022, and the third bridge was dedicated on December 20, 2022.
The Charles Anderson Memorial Bridge is a steel deck truss bridge located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The bridge carries the four-lane roadway of Boulevard of the Allies across a ravine known as Junction Hollow, connecting the neighborhoods of Central Oakland and South Oakland with Schenley Park. The bridge also spans the Junction Hollow Trail and P&W Subdivision railroad tracks which run along the bottom of the valley.